The Units

In this section, I will tell what the units are, when they become available, and how to use them.  I will of course also explain a brief historical overview of them all.

Volksturm: These were old men and young boys and anyone else unfit for the military who took up arms for Germany to free up more powerful units for more difficult jobs.  They also where "the bottom of the barrel" of Germany's man-power and where just about the only thing left to defend Hitler's crumbling Reich near the climactic ending of the Second World War.
     This unit is the worst in the game and should only be used for garrison duty to free better units up for attacks and counter attacks.  You most likely will not be able to hold out with these units in an emergency unless you have tons of them in that particular city, but since they cost so little to build, they might be worthwhile for a last ditch defense if absolutely needed.

Home Guard: In May of 1940 the British government made an appeal to the British people to come and join up in the Local Defence Volunteer group so as to free up the main British army for more taxing duties.  A month later they were renamed the "Home Guard".  The main purpose of this unit was to keep an eye out for German infiltrators.  Since they often did not have uniforms or even rifles (they often used golf clubs instead), they are very weak units in this scenario.  They are however slightly better then the Volksturm because they eventually would be equipped with more advanced weapons then a broomstick.   

Panzer Grenadier: These were mechanized infantry of the Wehrmacht.  They were attached to the Panzer Armies of the Wehrmacht and would be used to exploit breakthroughs that were made by the tanks and to roll right along with them.  Dealing with resisting pockets would often be left to the regular infantry, not these elite units.
    You should use these units the same way that they were used in real life.  Have them drive through any holes that your Panzers create and infiltrate behind enemy lines with them.  They are a powerful force, but much to expensive to be risked with dealing with reducing resisting pockets to a pulp.

Sturmtruppen: The Sturmtruppen's (or Shock Troop's) story goes all the way back to World War 1.  They were first deployed in 1917 as Shock Troops who would use advanced tactics to exploit weaknesses in the enemies lines.  Although they did not arrive soon enough in the First World War to win it for Germany, many German Generals took note of their successfulness and made pushes to form a unit on them for the remodeling Wehrmacht.
     These units are the Elite units of the regular German Army.  Use them to mop up what the Panzer and Panzer Grenadiers leave in their wake.  These units are also excellent on a general advance but they do not move quite as fast as some of the other units.

Waffen SS: Of all the German organizations during WWII, the SS is by far the most infamous - and the least understood amongst average historians. The SS was in fact not a monolithic "Black Corps" of goose stepping Gestapo men, as is often depicted in popular media and in many third rate historical works. The SS was in reality a complex political and military organization made up of three separate and distinct branches, all related but equally unique in their functions and goals. The Allgemeine-SS (General SS) was the main branch of this overwhelmingly complex organization, and it served a political and administrative role. The SS-Totenkopfverbande (SS Deaths Head Organization) and later, the Waffen-SS (Armed SS), were the other two branches that made up the structure of the SS. The Waffen-SS, formed in 1940, was the true military formation of the larger SS, and as such, it is the main focus of this section. Formed from the SS-Verfungstruppe after the Campaign in France in 1940, the Waffen-SS would become an elite military formation of nearly 600,000 men by the time WWII was over. Its units would spearhead some of the most crucial battles of WWII while its men would shoulder some of the most difficult and daunting combat operations of all the units in the German military. The Waffen-SS is sometimes thought of as the 4th branch of the German Wehrmacht (Heer, Luftwaffe, and Kriegsmarine) as in the field it came under the direct tactical control of the OKW, although this notion is technically incorrect as strategic control remained within the hands of the SS. To this day the actions of the Waffen-SS and its former members are vilified for ultimately being a part of the larger structure of the political Allgemeine-SS, regardless of the fact that the Waffen-SS was a front line combat organization."
     This is a powerful unit that you can use for special operations; they are good for just about anything.  It is included for historical accuracy and since the Waffen SS was often better equipped then the regular Heer, you will find that they are excellent units to have at your disposal. 

Red Infantry: The Infantry of the Soviet Red Army.  Due to the fact that the Soviet soldiers had everything to lose, but nothing to gain by surrendering or even retreating, they would often fight to the death.  Therefore, the Red Army's Infantry unit is better on the Defence then on the offense.   This unit is not that great, but since it only costs 1; it can be mass-produced in enough numbers to swallow the attacking German Army.  "Quantity over Quality".

Canadians:  Canada played a large role in WW2, but up until now, no other WW2 scenarios (to my knowledge) have featured them.  I wanted to do this because it can be argued that Canada saved Britain with supplies in the early stages of the war, and also because Canadians took part in major offensives such as Dieppe, Italy, and Normandy.
     The Canadians do not do very well in a defensive roll, but they are pretty good at attacking.  This is because Canadians (unlike the British and Australians) did not have so many defensive rolls and they were mainly used on the attack.
     In this scenario Canadians pour into Britain for the first half of the war via events.  After that, the US boys replace them.  

US Infantry: The US Infantry is the best infantry that the Allies can build.  They are faster then the British infantry and more powerful on the attack.  They are however, less powerful on the defense. This is to represent the fact that the British often took their sweet-ass time on the advance often at the jeopardy of the mission at stake (just take Caen for example).  The US were the ones who raced all over France liberating hundreds of miles of territory.  Likewise, when faced with advancing, the US often did much better then their British counterparts.  The reason why I had the British Infantry have higher defense is because although they might not know how to win a war, they sure did know how not to lose one. 

UK Infantry: The mainstay of the Allied armies until the more powerful US Infantry arrive on the scene, the British infantry can give advancing armies some trouble if they are not careful because they do have a pretty good defensive ability.  
     You are not in much trouble if you find these units advancing on you, their commander will probably stop for tea or an ego-boosting press conference and delay the offensive for a month or two anyway

T-34'41: This tank in the war gave the Germans a horrible shock.  They were rolling up and down the Russian countryside with ease until this tank showed up! You will first meet the T-34 when Smolensk is captured.  This is because this is the point of the war when the tank really did show up in force.  After this tank is around once, it will be around for good.  Try and ambush them in poor defensive terrain or better yet, knock them out with your Luftwaffe (if you can maintain air superiority in the East)

Resisting Pocket: Rather then having stupid old (and annoying) Partisans in this scenario, I have elected to rename them after what I feel would be a more likely situation: A "pocket" of resistance already engulfed by enemy troops.
     You will find that they can be tough to take out, but are more of a nuisance then anything else.  However, when you kill them, you capture their supplies (money), and so they can be a quite profitable enemy to attack.

Fallschirm: The German Paratroops in the scenario, and also an excellent, elite infantry unit available only to Germany.  They pop up in Crete after Greece falls to Axis might and they also appear in Malta when that island is indeed captured.  When playing as Germany, you might want to build up a powerful force of these to storm England and to capture the vital British Airfields before they can react.

Landing Craft: This unit can hold the most land units (4) of any sea unit, but it has poor defense ratings.  You should definitely stack this unit with a powerful naval unit as a convoy system whether you play as the Allies, or the Axis.

US Marines: The elite of the US armed forces, the US Marines are the only unit capable of storming the beaches without first landing there.  They are a very dangerous enemy who you should watch out for when you see them in your territory (and you will later in the game when playing as the Axis).

Airborne: The Allied paratroopers.  They only become available when the United States enter the war because I wanted this unit to represent the 101st and 82nd Airborne in particular.  Besides, there were not any major British airborne-invasions until the States were in the war anyway.  I wanted the icon to be an original so I took a Panzer General 2 C-47 and then a Civ2 modified paratrooper and stuck em both in the same box so to say.

Motorized: This is the Allied answer to the Panzer Grenadier.  It is not quite as powerful, nor as versatile. This is because Allied motorized troops were never of the elite that the Panzer Grenadiers were to Germany.  They only become available when the United States enter the war.

Panzer III: This tank was the work horse of the German Army for the first half of the war and likewise, it will be the work horse of your ground forces for the first half of the scenario.  It was armed at first with a 37mm gun; this tank could fight most light and medium Allied tanks.  It only had trouble with the Allied heavy tanks that appeared early in the war such as the Matilda.  
	You should produce mass quantities of these tanks early in the war so that you have a powerful tank force to drive deep into Russia with when the time comes.  Also, consider sending a few of these tanks to Africa to help eliminate the Allied threat there. 

Panzer IV: Although only a few were in service when WW2 began, the Panzer IV would eventually become the workhorse of the Panzer divisions.  It would see action right up to the end of the war (although modified immensely to meet the needs).  You start out researching the technology to build this tank right from the start of the scenario (Reliable Chassis), and you should be able to build them in time for Barbarossa without a doubt.  You will find that this will be the tank that you produce for the majority of the war because it is cheap, somewhat powerful, has good movement.

Panther: Available with the advent of the 75mm gun, the Panther tank is a very formidable foe and as soon as it becomes possible to build these I recommend that you mass-produce them.  This tank can compete with anything that the Allies can throw at it and it can compete with all but the best Russian tanks.

Tiger: This is the first really heavy tank that Germany can build and it becomes available with the advent of the 88mm Mounted Gun.  Although this tank is slower then most other tanks, when it gets a chance to engage an enemy tank, it WILL win.  Plain and simple.  

Knigstiger: This tank is a better version of the Tiger tank.  You might find it peculiar that it does not have a stronger attack rating then the regular old Tiger tank.  This is because they both had the same gun! The thing that the King Tiger was better then the Tiger was armour and because of this you will find that it is much harder to knock out.  If you have the meens to produce these for their armour, you should go for it.  Otherwise just stick with the Tiger.

Light Tank: This unit represents all of the light tanks of all the nations of the world during WW2 such as the Panzer I and II, Italian tanks, and Russian BT-5's.  It's only real advantage is that it can move over 3 spaces, and that it ignores zones of control due to it's speed and small size (chance of being seen).

T-34'43: Roughly 9,000 of these tanks were built during 1942 (of course 6,000 were destroyed in only 3 battles during the summer of 1942!).  It was armed with a 76L41 cannon that could annihilate any German tank thrown against it at that time.
     In this scenario the Soviets receive the technology for these tanks when the Germans receive the technology for the Panther tank.  I have elected to have it be this way so that Germany and the Soviet Union are always neck to neck in tank production/tank capabilities.  

IS-2: The "Iosef Stalin 2" was possibly the best Soviet tank of the war (there is speculation as to whether it's predecessor the IS3 tank actually saw combat or not.  Anyway, the Soviets receive the technology for the IS2 when Germany discovers "advanced armour sloping" (and thus gets the tech to build the King Tiger).  This ensures that no matter what Germany does, they will always have a very tough time on the Eastern Front.

Churchill: This is a medium Allied tank that becomes available with the advent of the 75mm gun.  It can compete with most light and medium German tanks but has a little trouble with the Panther and anything better then that obviously.  

Sherman: This is the tank that the Allies can easily mass produce, but it is not all that great.  It has good firepower but if it takes a hit from one of the better German tanks, the chances are that it will perish.  An old saying is that it "takes 5 Sherman tanks to kill one Panther".  You might find this to be true.  Luckily for the Allies, the Sherman can be produced in such numbers that they might just have those 5 Sherman Tanks per every German Panther.

M26 Pershing: About 700 M26 Pershing Tanks were built during WW2, primarily due to the threat from the German's Tiger tank.  In this scenario the Americans get this tank at the same time that the Germans get the King Tiger so that they are not completely annihilated by Germany's super tank.

Me-109: This early war variant of the Messerschmitt was the finest fighter aircraft in the world in 1939-40.  Only the RAF Spitfire MkI was a match for it.
     Though several Messerschmitt designs have the prefix, "ME," the 109 is usually referred to as the Bf 109.  Bf stands for the company that originally manufactured the aircraft - the Bayrische Flugzeugwerke (Bavarian Flying Works).
     The Emil culminated a revolution in fighter aircraft design that began in the mid 1930s with the introduction of all metal low wing monoplanes.  Although monoplanes had been employed in fighter design since the First World War, conventional thinking held that turning circle was a fighter's principle virtue.  Thus for a decade and a half, following WWI, open cockpit biplanes were still being developed as front line fighter aircraft.
     Nothing could have been further from the conventional wisdom than Willy Messerschmitt's 109.  High wing loaded, heavily armed, and employing the fuel injected, high displacement Daimler Benz 600 series engine, the 109 climbed quickly, flew fast, and dove swiftly.  It was the perfect tool for a new era of fighter combat, where the ultimate aim was to deliver weapons, in the most rapid manner possible, to a target in the sky, and to leave as suddenly as you arrived.  Air combat was no longer an exercise in militant aerobatics.
     In the early stages of this scenario, the Me 109 is the only fighter that the Axis have to fight with.  Although it by no means is a bad plane, it certainly is not the top notch fighter that the Germans will need in order to survive the Allied bombing runs that are sure to follow.

Hurricane: Although the Spitfire is often credited with saving England from German conquest in World War II, it was in fact the Hawker Hurricane that bore the brunt of the fighting and achieved most of the air-to-air victories in the Battle of Britain.
     The Hurricane was developed in the mid 1930s as the basic assumptions regarding military aviation were undergoing a fundamental change.  Initially it was designed as a fabric covered aircraft with a fixed pitch wooden propeller, and fixed landing gear.  During its final design, however, it was given a metal skin, retractable gear, and a variable pitch prop.  Its thick wings would forever restrict its ability to be upgraded to a true 1940s era fighter.  However, its virtue as a stable gun platform, capable of delivering a lethal cone of fire, proved an indispensable asset during the most crucial period of World War II when England stood alone against Germany.
     In this scenario the Hurricane is the most abundant British fighter, and all in all it is not a bad plane.  It can compete on the DEFENCE vs. the 109 but if it tries to make a raid on it's own, it will be absolutely crushed.

Matilda: The Matilda tank gave Italian commanders a real headache during the first few stages of the desert war.  Simply put, no Italian tank could come anywhere close to piercing the Matilda's 78mm armour or to match it's 2 pound (40mm) gun.
     Until you get some good tanks to Africa, your Italian Allies will have a woefully pitiful debut with fighting the Matilda tank.  It is definitely a worthy opponent.

FW-190: Kurt Tank's most famous fighter, the FW190, was actually flying in 1939 when
World War II began.  However, its delayed debut, much like it's entire development history, was marked by also-ran status.
     During the mid to late 1930s, conventional wisdom held that air cooled radial engines presented too much drag for a fighter aircraft.  Tank might not have challenged this notion except that there were no proven water cooled power plants available for the FW190.  The premier water cooled engine at the time was the Daimler Benz 600, and Benz could barely keep up with the demands of Messerschmitt 109 and 110 production.  So Tank tried a different tactic - he'd use the high output BMW 801 radial, and apply its 1700 horsepower, compared to the DB601's 1100hp, to compensate for the added drag.  It worked.  The FW190 was the fastest front line fighter in the world when it finally reached combat units, late in 1941.
     At the time, British Spitfire Mk V pilots were holding their own against the Luftwaffe's front line fighter, the Bf109.  The sudden appearance of the Focke Wulf 190 nearly threw the RAF into panic.  Faster, more maneuverable, and possessing the most devastating armament yet seen in a fighter, the Focke Wulf was to become Germany's most impressive mass produced prop fighter of World War II. Its emergence resulted in the rapid development of the Spitfire Mk IX.
Until then, the RAF attempted to console its anxious pilots by telling them that the Spitfire could out-turn the Focke Wulf.  This was little comfort to RAF veterans who understood that superior turning ability is, at best, a defensive tactic.
     When an A-3 landed in England by mistake, the British finally got to thoroughly examine its nemesis.  Their initial investigation revealed just how superior this fighter was, and it did little for the morale of their leading engineers. The Focke Wulf, from a technical and design standpoint, was far and away the most advanced aircraft in the world.  Adjustment of engine rpm, throttle setting, and propeller pitch was handled automatically, as was trim.  Control harmony was the best of its day.  The Wulf's wide track landing gear made landing and ground handling far easier than the Spitfires narrow track gear. All of this was built into a trim, sleek package, making the 190 not only an aerodynamically efficient machine, but one that was difficult to hit.
      In this scenario, you can focus on the FW and create it sooner then it was in real life should you choose to do so.  I highly recommend this because if you do this, then by the time that the Allies have an aerial armada of B-17's, you will have an aerial armada of FW's to rise and greet them.

Spitfire: Although aircraft have always inspired a reverence that would seem more appropriate for lovers or deities than for machines, the Spitfire, more than any fighting airplane in history, remains an object of near worship for many people.  This cannot be due to its combat record alone.  The Hawker Hurricane carried the clear majority of the load in the Battle of Britain.  Yet there were Spitfire fund raising events all across England, and none for the Hurri.  Unfortunately,
the Hurricane was the ample girl with the great personality, whereas the Spitfire could inspire admiration on another level altogether.  Certainly no aircraft has better embodied beauty, grace, speed, agility, and power.
     Supermarine's chief engineer, Reginald Mitchell, designed the Spitfire in the early 1930s.  He had considerable experience in high speed aircraft, having designed several racing sea planes.  His best, the Supermarine S6, set speed records and won the Schneider Trophy in 1931.  Unfortunately, he died in 1937 before his remarkable creation ever saw combat.
     Mitchell hated the name, Spitfire; he preferred "Shrew." Though his fighter would have been just as deadly no matter what it was called, it's doubtful that "Achtung - Shrew!" would have inspired quite the same initial terror among Luftwaffe pilots.
     The Spitfire in this scenario will provide you with a very large challenge in the early stages of the war.  It is not that bad of a plane and will give your 109's loads of trouble.  Your FW-190's can massacre it however.

P-47: The P-47's nickname, the Jug, is a commentary about its bloated, pug nosed appearance.  The British, however, believed it to be an abbreviation for Juggernaut.  Both monikers, in their own way, are true.  While hardly an attractive aircraft, it was nonetheless formidable and difficult to bring down.
     Although all fighters are designed with their power plants in mind, the Jug is a case of a fighter designed completely around an engine -the Pratt & Whitney Double Wasp R-2800, the most important American aircraft engine of the war.  Although its dimensions precluded sleek, low drag configurations for the aircraft that employed it, it overcame this deficiency with sheer muscle: 2300 horsepower on WEP in P-47D.
     The Thunderbolt was the largest single engine fighter of World War II, and its appearance led many - particularly in the RAF - to dismiss the design as ungainly and ill-suited for a fighter role against nimble Luftwaffe aircraft, such as the Me109 and FW 190.  What the Jug had, however, that the RAF fighters lacked at the time was range.  It served as an able bomber escort until late '43 when the Merlin powered Mustangs arrived.
     Though the Jug had been displaced in its original role by the Mustang, it later surpassed its successor in the job the P-51 initially performed: ground attack.  Whereas the Mustang's inline engine had made it vulnerable to ground fire, Jugs could absorb significantly more damage, and deliver a far more potent payload.
     In this scenario you will notice that the Jug is not that bad of a plane, and it is the first US fighter that is available to you.  The only real problem with it is that it does not have the range to escort your B-17's deep into the Reich.  For that job you need the P-51 Mustang.

P-51D Mustang: Though developed in 1940, the P-51 did not come into its own until late 1942 when the British, for whom the plane was originally built, decided to replace its standard Allison engine with the more powerful Merlin engine.  Still, it would take American military leaders nearly a year more before they understood the virtues and importance of the Mustang as the long range strike and escort fighter that would eventually change the course of the air war in Europe.
     The Mustang is the best Allied fighter of the war and although it does not have the attack of a FW due to the FW having 20mm and 30mm cannons vs. the P-51's "mere" six .50 cal machine guns.  The P-51 does however, have the range to escort the B-17's too and from their targets deep inside the Reich.  They can also tango with any Luftwaffe plane out there when the chance presents itself.

B-17: The U.S. Army Air Corps specification aimed rather high for 1934 - a bomber capable of 250mph, 10 hours endurance, and a substantial payload.  This was an era still dominated by biplane fighters that could not achieve such a speed. Yet Boeing was suited to meeting this spec, as they already had experience with high speed transport planes.  Their answer was a four engine aircraft, and their design became the B-17, the most famous bomber of World War II.
     In many ways, the B-17 was ill suited to becoming the legend it is today.  Its moniker, Flying Fortress, was a misnomer at first.  Early B-17s were weakly armed, carrying only three gunners operating single machine guns from cumbersome blister positions.  It's initial role was to defend American interests in the Pacific by bombing enemy ships - a mission no level bomber ever managed to accomplish.  Finally, the Fortress was designed as a medium bomber.  Its four engine configuration was to meet the USAAF spec for performance with any one engine out more than it was an attempt to transport the load of a heavy bomber.
     The B-17's place in history, thus, was aided as much by timing as by design. When the war broke out, development of the true American heavy bomber - the B-29 - was not far enough along, and the Fortress became the tool to prosecute the U.S. strategy of high altitude strategic bombing.
     In this scenario, the B-17 is a VERY hard target to take out with a 25 defense rating that is doubled vs. Air attack (due to its 13 heavy machine guns defensive armament).  The best bet is to attack it with many fighters, preferably FW's.  If you can not destroy them, you will just have even more bombers attacking and hampering your war economy! If you see a B-17 (and with their enormous range they could be all over your Reich) you must kill it for the Fatherland!

Ju-87: Though the Stuka comes readily to mind when one considers the origins of dive
bombing, the concept was first developed in the United States in the 1920s, attracting the attention of Germany and Japan.  Through a series of fits and starts in the early 1930s, the Luftwaffe developed its own dive bombing aircraft.  In 1936 it came down to two designs: one by Junkers, the Ju87, and one by Heinkel, the He 118.  Unfortunately for Heinkel, the person making the final decision - the noted WWI ace and air show pilot, Ernst Udet - had an He
118 disintegrate around him in a test dive.  Thus, it's not surprising that Udet decided in favor of the Junkers entry.
     When World War II began, many considered the Stuka as already obsolete.  It was clear that speed was an essential virtue of nearly all combat aircraft, regardless of their mission.  However, after its impressive showing early in the war, and the terrifying reputation it developed among current and upcoming German foes, the Stuka's role was reevaluated.
     It was the Battle of Britain that revealed just how vulnerable the Ju87 was.  The RAF scoring devastating successes against the Stuka, and referred to encounters with Ju87 groups as, "Stuka parties."  Once committed to their dive attacks, with dive brakes fully deployed, the Stuka would seem, to a fighter pilot, like an unmaneuvering target hanging in the air.  After suffering 22
losses on a single day - August 18, 1940 - the Stuka was withdrawn from the battle.
     The Stuka flew with distinction later in the war on the eastern front.  There it served in its original dive bombing role, and as a tank killer, armed with heavy armour piercing cannon.  It finished the war as a night attack aircraft.  Though several pilots had long and distinguished careers in the Stuka, overall the attrition among Ju87 pilots and crews was appalling.  Nonetheless, the Stuka lives on in our imaginations as one of the most fascinating war machines ever created. 
     In this scenario, the Stuka's main good ability is the ability to attack multiple times in a single turn.  You will find that with 10 Stukas by your side, you can easily turn away even the most determined Soviet counterattack.  

Ju-88: The Ju-88 was a distinctive aircraft, with a large 'insect-eye' nose and the ability to adapt to virtually every role Germany demanded.  With the exception of close dogfighting, the Ju-88 excelled in a variety of roles: dive bomber, night fighter, tank buster, anti-shipping platform, and pathfinder.  Eventually production of the Luftwaffe's workhorse totaled some 14,980 aircraft.
     In this scenario, your main bomber as the Axis will be the Ju-88.  It has good range (capable of hitting targets 15 squares away), and good destructive power.  All in all, it is not a bad choice to put on the production lines.  It's only downfall is that it can only attack once per turn and then needs to return to base for fuel.  What this means is that you will need many of these aircraft to get a job done.

Il-2: Whereas the Luftwaffe stressed development of multiple roles for each of its military aircraft, the Soviet Union's Ilyushin Il-2 was created to be only one thing - a ground attack plane.  Without question, it was the premier aircraft of its kind in World War II.
     Like the Stuka, which is simply a shortened form of the German word for dive bomber, Shturmovik is the Russian designation for ground attack aircraft in general.  However, it became the name associated with the Il-2 in singular fashion.  To its pilots it was Ilyusha.  To the Soviet army it was The Flying Infantryman.  The Wehrmacht called it Black Death.
     Like most WWII aircraft, the Shturmovik's origins precede the outbreak of war, going back as far as 1930.  It wasn't until 1939 that a prototype of the aircraft that would become the Il-2 was finally created.  This was a single seater.  As an aircraft performing such a low altitude role cannot have an effective escort, a two seat version, with a rear gunner was developed.  Low
level attacks draw lots of ground fire.  Thus the Il-2 was outfitted with an armor "bathtub" to protect the engine and crew.  This same solution was employed four decades later on another low tech ground assault aircraft, the A-10 Warthog.
     The Shturmovik was produced in greater numbers than any aircraft in history. By War's end, over 40,000 had been made.  Luftwaffe pilots found them difficult to shoot down; some even reported seeing their bullets bounce off the Il-2's armor.  On the battlefield, often flying as low as 50 feet, in large formations, they had a devastating impact and were invaluable to Russia's eventual success.  In Stalin's words, "Our Army needs the Il-2 as much as it needs bread, as much as it needs the air it breathes."
    In this scenario, the Il-2 is basically a Stuka that is very much harder to destroy and is on the whole, a better plane.  The Russians should use it in much the same way that the Germans should use the Stuka.

Maus: The Maus was developed by Porsche at the demand of Hitler himself.  He demanded a super-heavy tank that would defy anything that the Allies through at it.  What emerged was a monster weighing 207 US tons! This is the largest, most powerful, and most slow tank in the entire scenario.  Taking one of these out is quite the problem.

Fortification: This unit represents all of the major defenses of the war.  It represents the Maginot Line, the seven major forts of Sevastopol, the defensive lines constructed alongside southern Britain in anticipation of "Operation Sea Lion".  They can be very hard to crack and even Battleships can be killed when attacking a fortified Fortification unit.  You might want to assault them from the ground with massive 105mm Guns to ensure victory.

Cruiser: These ships can outrun a Pocket Battleship, but can not outshoot one. They also, are the most powerful ship that can be built during this scenario because both Pocket Battleships and Battleships may not be built in this scenario.  As the Axis, you might want to consider investing in these ships to help turn the balance in the naval game.

Battleship: The monsters of the seven seas.  This unit is THE most powerful unit in the game, and can take out anything on the open seas or on land (if the land unit in question is situated alongside the coast.  These units are also quite hard to take out as well.  You might find that only another Battleship or many aircraft can sink them.  No more of these units will pop up in the scenario.  Once they are dead, no matter what side, they are gone forever.  

Type VII U-Boat: With over 650 boats build, the Type VII was the most important submarine in the German Kriegsmarine. Built between 1936 and 1944 those boats mainly operated in the North Atlantic, and were known for the so-called "Rudeltaktik" - a simultaneous night attack of several surfaces U-Boats on allied convoys. Besides torpedo attacks they could also be used for mine laying and were well known for their maneuverability and fast diving speed. Shortly after the introduction of the first model a improved version with a better maneuverability (Type VIIB) was built. The most built variant was the Type VIIC whose variant Type VIIC/41 was made of thicker steel to increase the diving depth. Other variants include the mine laying Type VIID and the torpedo supply variant Type VIIF. Today, one of those boats, U995, is on display in Laboe, Germany.

Type XXI U-Boat: The Type XXI was the answer to the increasing danger to German U-Boats by allied anti submarine forces in the second half of the war. Due to their powerful electrical engines and hydrodynamical shaped hull, these very advanced submarines were faster submerged than on the surface. The boats were built in sections to increase the production numbers, but although more than 134 were built only 7 of the new "Elektroboote" operated vs. allied forces. The design of the Type XXI influenced the submarine construction in many countries after the war, e.g. the Russian W-Class was based on them. After the war, the former U2540 was raised and entered service in the Bundesmarine as Wilhelm Bauer, it is now on display in Bremerhaven, Germany.

Pocket Battleship: After World War I the Versailles Treaty limited the construction of new warships in Germany. It was allowed to keep six old battleships of the Deutschland and Lothringen class, six small cruisers, 12 DDs and 12 torpedo boats. 
According to Article 190 of the treaty, the battleships could be replaced 20 years after they were commissioned, but the replacement must not exceed 10000 tons. 
Therefore, the first replacement was ordered in 1928, the Panzerschiff A which later got the names Deutschland and Ltzow. The planing first went into two directions, a heavy armed and protected monitor for coastal defenses or a cruiser like ship with a larger range but less armor. Since France was the possible enemy in this days the second alternative was chosen to build a ship that could threaten French merchant shipping. The concept of the new Panzerschiffe was "faster than stronger enemies" (i.e. battleships except the British BC Hood, Renown and Repulse), "and stronger than faster enemies" (CAs and CLs), which was plausible in the days before the fast battleships. 
In many ways, the Panzerschiffe introduced revolutionary techniques for ships of their size, they were Diesel powered to increase their operational range and hull was intensively welded to reduce weight. Although their official size was 10000 ts, their maximum displacement was about 50% higher. 
All three Panzerschiffe, which were called "Westentaschen-Schlachtschiffe" - "Pocket Battleships" outside of Germany, had the same basic design, their outer appearance was quite different, especially the design of the command tower. 
All ships were used in the international sea patrols off the Spanish coast during the Spanish civil war and had different fates in World War II. The Admiral Graf Spee was lost early in the war when it was scuttled after the famous battle of the River Plate. The Deutschland was damaged several times during the war including a loss of both props and rudder. In 1940 the ship was renamed to Ltzow to reduce the propaganda damage if a ship named "Deutschland" would be sunk. The Admiral Scheer made a six month combat mission in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean which showed that the concept of a Diesel powered commerce raider did work, sinking over 100000 ts of Allied shipping. 
In 1940 the two remaining Panzerschiffe (Deutschland/Ltzow and Admiral Scheer) were reclassified as Heavy Cruisers. 

V1: Although this unit in real life was more of a terror weapon then a worthwhile weapon, I felt that I had to include it.  The thing about this unit in this scenario which is different from others, is that it can, and will often be, intercepted on course to it's target of Britain.  I achieved this by giving it a flight time that spans 2 turns with 5 maximum movement points per each turn.  This way, if you want to hit certain British Isles targets, you can, but if the Allies discover your missile before your second turn, they may destroy it.  This is because in the real war, these missiles moved so slowly that they could often, and where often, destroyed by Allied aircraft.

V2:  While the V1 could be intercepted by some of the faster Allied fighters, the V2 could not.  This is why this unit is a good unit to research too.  If you want a good weapon, which without doubt will kill it's objective, go to this unit to get the job done.  It moves 12 spaces in 1 turn,  which means that there is virtually no way that anything will intercept this (unless it runs into a hidden Anti-Aircraft gun).  In other words, once you launch this missile, it will succeed unlike it's V1 counterpart which has only a marginal success rate.

Yak 9: The Yak-9 is the weakest fighter in the game: slow, sluggish, weakly armed, and fragile.  The Yak-9 embodied the Soviet approach to fighter design in the Second World War.  Innovation and elegance were discarded entirely in favor of durability and
ease of production, as Russia was forced into compensating through sheer numbers what she lacked in first rate materials and experienced pilots.  Nonetheless, the Yak-9 was a formidable fighter, and gave its chief Luftwaffe opponent - the Messerschmitt Bf109 - a good deal of trouble, especially at low altitudes.

Resistance: In this scenario, I have tried to make a rather original breakthrough in WW2 scenario making by adding large scale resistance movements.  The "resistance" unit features a French flag because I wanted the unit to be primarily of the French Resistance in particular.  
     The interesting thing about the Resistance is that they can not attack enemies.  What they do is "espionage" by stealing technology, destroying industrial buildings, and bribing your cities with promises of a better life under Allied conditions.  As Germany, you will not see these units pop up for awhile, but eventually further down into the scenario (when the Allies start to succed), you will see them pop up all over the place causing you a major headache.

Commando: The commando functions in the same way as the Resistance but they do the job better (they take the regular "spy" slot while the Resistance takes the "diplomat slot".  Another main advantage of the Commando is that they can defend very well (they have a defense rating of a 30).  This signifies the fact that Commando raiders where often well armed to the teeth, and had enough training to ward off enemies of vast superior numbers.

Allied General: The Allied General is weaker then the German General because as we all know, in the real war, the majority of Allied Generals (like Monty), were not as elite as the well schooled Prussian Generals such as Rommel, Guderian, Kesselring, and Manstein.  This unit is an excellent unit to lead an attack with nonetheless.  They also show up at certain times in the scenario as they can not be built.

Anti Aircraft: The idea for this unit is not original.  The idea for its icon however was Dan Meadow's.  He suggested to me during playtesting that I make it an invisible unit that would "trap" German planes that tried to go into the British airspace.  Be careful during the Battle of Britain or you could find yourself in big trouble with your fighters being shot down by invisible units!

Factory: Although these units make no difference to production, they do play a significant role in the scenario because if you kill one of them, the person whom they belong to lose a ton of Reichsmarks.

Destroyer: This unit is a sub hunter.  It also has sub advantages/disadvantages to prevent it from attempting to take out coastal fortifications and return it to it's real job of making daring torpedo attacks on enemy battleships and hunting down and destroying enemy submarines.  This unit also makes a great convoy escort as they are cheap and inexpensive to build and you can afford to lose a few.

Krupp Steel Works: In the latter part of the scenario, if the Allies kill this unit, there will be severe penalties on the Axis player

Work Camp Dora: Dito for this unit

Oil Facilities: And once again, dito again  

Axis General: A better unit then the Allied General, you should use the Axis in much the same way as the Allies use their Generals.  They pop up from time to time when important Generals go from place to place.

88mm Gun: The best gun of the war, and the most versatile unit of the scenario, the 88mm gun is a very formidable foe.  It can defend very well against enemy aircraft but it also defends very well vs. enemy tanks because it had a high-velocity low-trajectory fire for Anti-Aircraft purposes which when fired at a lower angle, proved very effective vs. enemy tanks.

105mm Gun: This unit is the only "real" artillery unit that I have elected to keep in the game.  In "The New Germany", I had a few different types of artillery but after some playtesting I found that the easiest way to win would be to just mass produce these units.  This was something that I wanted to avoid and so I made them be destroyed after attacking to limit the amount that were likely to be out at any one time.

Katyusha: Deemed "little kates" by the Russians, and "Stalin's Organs" by the Germans, these units can be very fierce.  They are also destroyed after attacking because they are EXTREMELY powerful units that can take out just about anything.  Kill these the second that you see them.

Me-262: In early 1939, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Air Transport Ministry), or RLM, requested that Messerschmitt AG design a fighter powered by a pair of the new reaction-turbine engines then under development.  This design would eventually become the Me-262.  In this scenario it is the most powerful plane, but also the most weakly defended.  This is because it's armour was very light, but it's firepower was absolutely tremendous (it had FOUR 30mm Cannons! That's only 7mm's short of what many early-war tanks used for a main gun)! Also, although it's range was not that bad (652 miles), I chose to have it have a very short range in this scenario so that it would be used only as a bomber interceptor and a city protector.  (I did not want 262's over England).
